ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Nutrition
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1654704
Optimising Water-Nitrogen Coupling for Quinoa Yield, Quality and Resource Use Efficiency in Arid Regions
Provisionally accepted
- 1Institute of Microbiology, Xinjiang Academy of Agriculture Science，Urumqi，Xinjiang, China, Urumqi, China
- 2Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, China
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To investigate the effects of water-nitrogen coupling under drip irrigation on quinoa yield, quality, and water-nitrogen use efficiency, a micro-plot experiment was conducted in Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang. The study employed a two-factor factorial design with three irrigation levels (W1: 2100 m³/ha, W2: 2700 m³/ha, W3: 3300 m³/ha) and five nitrogen application rates (N0: 0 kg/ha, N1: 100 kg/ha, N2: 125 kg/ha, N3: 150 kg/ha, N4: 175 kg/ha), resulting in 15 treatment combinations. Results indicated that under the W1 irrigation level, increasing nitrogen application enhanced dry matter accumulation. However, under W2 and W3 con-ditions, dry matter mass declined when nitrogen exceeded 150 kg/ha, indicating a significant nitrogen threshold effect. A yield response model (R² = 0.945) predicted maximum theoretical yield (4363.91 kg/ha) at an irrigation volume of 2931.59 m³/ha and nitrogen application of 149.24 kg/ha. Optimal grain quality— characterized by fat content of 51.47–55.90 g/kg, protein content of 189.68–199.05 g/kg, and starch content of 581.23–585.96 g/kg—was observed under W2 and W3 combined with N2 and N3 treatments. Regression analyses revealed peak values for water use efficiency (WUE), nitrogen agronomic efficiency (NAE), and nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP) at 1.64 g/kg, 29.72 kg/kg, and 31.92 kg/kg, respectively. Based on these findings, a recommended water-nitrogen management strategy for quinoa production in southern Xinjiang is 2700 m³/ha of drip irrigation water combined with 150 kg/ha of nitrogen fertilizer, achieving a balance among high yield, resource efficiency, and environmental sustainability.
Keywords: Quinoa, Water and Fertilizer Integration, yield, quality, Water and nitrogen use efficiency
Received: 26 Jun 2025; Accepted: 09 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 李, A, Zhao, Feng, Bian and Fu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yaozu Feng, fengyaozu@sina.com
Yanbo Fu, zxb2023303003@cau.edu.cn
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